


This Is Home

by the_daily_val



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Baby, Birth, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, non graphic description of birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23099821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_daily_val/pseuds/the_daily_val
Summary: A one shot that is completely unrelated to my chapter story 'Can a World Get Any Worse'. Popped into my head and I couldn't get it out until I wrote it so here you go!I can't really summarize it with spoiling it, but there is a description of child birth but it's not really graphic and there's also lots of mentions of an adorable baby so if your baby fever is high - stay far far away!Enjoy! There is a slight possibility this could get built upon but right now I need to focus on my other story (Ha!)-Val
Relationships: Aaron/Original Female Characters, Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	This Is Home

**Author's Note:**

> Upon rereading I seem to have liked the number 5 a lot, I might revisit this and rewrite somethings eventually.

A groan, one not unlike the sound the dead makes, echoes thorough the woods and pulls Daryl and Aaron’s attention to the east.  
They both ready themselves to be confronted with walkers but falter when after a second, a stream of curse words come from the same direction  
“Stupid ass, ugly motherfucking things”  
Making eye contact with each other both men begin silently moving towards the source of the words  
They both pause when a figure enters their field of vision, but they’re unsure if its living or dead. Either way it’s bent in half.  
All 3 of them jump when one of the walkers on the ground starts growling again, but before Daryl can fire a bolt the figure bent in half straightens and quickly plunges their machete through its head.  
As they are wiping their machete off on the pants Aaron shifts slightly and a branch cracks causing the figure to whip around, machete at the ready and make eye contact with the both of them.  
Whomever Aaron and Daryl expected to find in the woods, a heavily pregnant woman was not it.  
“What do you want?” she asks  
“We don’t mean any harm, we heard you cussing and came to see what was up” Aaron says raising his hands in a surrender position  
“What’re you doing in the woods?” She asks again  
“Hunting” Daryl answers shortly and she seems to accept his answer, her eyes darting from their faces to the string of squirrels and bunny on his belt loop.  
“What’re you doing in the woods” Aaron asks seeing as how she didn’t have much on her, her machete and what looks like a small bookbag on her back  
“Looking for a place to sta-mmmm” she says but cuts herself off in a moan before bending in half once again, resting her hands on her knees  
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Aaron asks alarmed and he goes to approach her, but Daryl stops him  
“Mhmm hang on” a minute passes and then she slowly straightens  
“You bit?” Daryl asks  
“No, I’m not bit”  
“Then what’s up”  
“I think I’m in labor” she says  
“Oh shit” Aaron sums up eloquently  
“What’s yer name?” Daryl asks  
“Emma”  
“Well, Emma we have a community not too far from here if you’d like to come back with us. You’d have to answer a few questions first though, and when we get there, do an interview” Aaron explains  
‘Emma’ nods so Daryl starts asking her the questions  
“How many walkers have you killed?”  
“Uh I don’t know 200? 300? A lot”  
“How many people have you killed?”  
“One”  
“Why?”  
“He tried to kill me and my baby”  
Daryl nods and accepts the answer and turns slightly to confirm with Aaron that yes, they were going to be taking her back with them, but they’re interrupted by another low moan brining their attention back to Emma  
“How long have you been in labor?” Aaron asks  
“Since just before sunrise” – more than half the day then as it was midafternoon now  
“You good to walk?” Daryl asks and Emma nods  
“Alright let’s get moving before we lose Daylight. We’re parked about 2.5 miles from here” Aaron says, and Emma sheaths her machete before walking after him, Daryl picking up the rear  
Not 5 minutes later they have to pause until another contraction passes. And that’s how it goes until they reach the car, stopping every few minutes for a contraction.  
“Uh- how long of a drive back to your community?” Emma asks pausing to lean against the boot of the car as she gets another contraction  
“About 3 or 4 hours” Aaron tells Emma “Why?”  
“Uhm, I don’t know if I’ll make it that far”  
“Huh”  
“Well, the contractions are getting closer, and more painful and well there’s a lot of pressure down there” Emma says and before Aaron and Daryl can start to discuss what to do Emma is leaning back over the car with another contraction  
“You got the map?” Daryl asks and Aaron nods quickly retrieving the map from his bag and spreading it on the hood of the car  
Aaron and Daryl work quickly to try and find a place to hole up for the time being, their attention only being diverted when Emma moans  
5 minutes later they have a plan  
“Alright it looks like there’s a town about 5 miles from here, we’re going to head there” Aaron tells Emma coming around the back of the car to stand next to her  
“You can take the passenger seat” he tells her guiding her around the car with a hand on her back before climbing into the back, with Daryl in the driver’s seat  
Once their doors are closed Daryl wastes no time starting the car and pulling off.  
About a mile down the road he hits a bump that causes Emma to throw out of her hands and to latch onto his arm  
“Holy Fuck! Ow!” she curses squeezing her eyes tight  
“You okay?” Daryl asks after a second, eyeing the fingers digging into his arm  
“Yeah, Yeah I’m okay” Emma says lowly, her eyes still shut  
Within 20 minutes they’re pulling into the small town and turning down a few streets before Daryl picks a house that looks relatively secure  
“You stay here, we’re gonna clear the house and then we’ll come get you” Aaron instructs as him and Daryl get out of the car.  
Not 5 minutes later Aaron is retrieving Emma from the car and leading her up the front steps through the door  
“There’s a master bedroom upstairs, and a nursery too. We just want to block this door really quick” Aaron tells her, and she nods leaning on the railing next to the stairs as him and Daryl move a couch in front of the door after locking it.  
“Alright you ready to head up” Aaron asks  
“Yeah” Emma says and Aaron nods following her up the stairs slowly  
They get halfway up before Emma stops  
“What’s wrong?”  
“My water just broke” Emma says  
“That’s good – right?”  
“Yeah just means it’s almost time time” Emma tells them heading up the rest of the stairs  
Aaron directs her into a master bedroom with a perfectly made very large bed  
“I’m gonna go check out the house, see if there’s a generator or water. It’ll be dark soon” Daryl says going back down the stairs  
“You know how to deliver a baby?” Emma asks Aaron  
“Uh no not exactly, before well all this I’d see a few birth videos but I’ve never like see it in real life” he says his cheeks turning a light pink  
“Welp that’ll have to work” Emma says before leaning on the bed and letting out a low groan  
“Wait what?” Aaron asks after a moment  
“I can’t very well deliver the baby on my own”  
“Uh yeah I guess, yeah you’re right” Aaron says with a nervous laugh  
“How about you get situated in here and I’ll go find some towels and things” he says before rushing out the door  
Shaking her head Emma removes her pants and shoes but leaves her underwear on for now, before she takes up residence leaning against the dresser  
Probably about 15 minutes later Aaron rejoins her  
“I found towels, rubbing alcohol, a squeeze thing to clean their nose, baby blankets and loads of baby stuff in the nursery. You can go through it later. Oh! And Daryl is working on getting the water to turn on. I’m gonna go lend him a hand” Aaron says quickly dropping the stuff onto one side of the bed before rushing back out the door  
Emma shuffles over to the bed and straightens the pile out a little bit so everything will be easily accessible  
About 10 minutes later Emma’s voice rings through the house  
“Oh shit. AARON! AARON!” footsteps pound up two flights of stairs as Aaron and Daryl sprint up them  
“What’s wrong?!” Aaron asks bursting through the doorway  
“I need to push”  
“Oh fuck. Daryl help me get her on the bed” Aaron says pulling the comforter back on the bed exposing the less dusty sheet  
Daryl moves quickly and grabbing Emma’s arm guiding her to the bed and helping her up there  
“Uh okay gotta get your underwear off” Aaron murmurs taking off his own jacket  
“I’m gonna go get the water on” Daryl says going to turn away from the bed  
“No!” Emma shouts grabbing his wrist “Please don’t leave me” she says her eyes shining with tears from pain and fear  
Daryl meets Aarons eyes quickly before grabbing Emma’s hand and standing next to the bed  
“Okay” he says  
“Alright lift your hips up some” Aaron says helping Emma take her underwear off  
Emma and Daryl watch as his eyes get wide  
“What’s wrong?” Emma asks  
“I can see the head” Aaron says with a gulp before shaking his head to focus himself  
“On your next contraction push okay?” he instructs Emma and she nods  
Not even a minute later she starts pushing, one hand pulling her leg back and the other squeezing the life out of Daryl’s  
“Daryl hold her leg back” Aaron tells him, so Daryl helps pull her other leg back for her  
10 minutes of pushing later Aaron tells her to stop pushing so he can make sure the cord isn’t around the baby’s neck  
“Do you have a bra on?” he asks and Emma nods breathless  
“Daryl help her take her shirt off”  
“Why?”  
“Skin to skin is important and the baby will be here with another push or two”  
Daryl nods and quickly helps Emma remove her shirt before reclaiming his position holding her leg and hand  
“Okay Em go ahead and push” Emma bears down grunting with the effort and lets loose a sob when she feels the baby slip from her  
“Oh my god” she whispers falling back onto the pillows as Aaron quickly suctions the baby’s mouth and nose  
“It’s a girl!” Aaron says as the baby starts crying, and he wastes no time laying the baby on Emma’s chest and covering her with a towel  
“Holy shit” Emma whispers gazing down at the baby  
Emma doesn’t pay attention when Daryl slips from the room and only pays just enough when Aaron helps the placenta deliver and ties off the cord before cutting it, she’s too enamored with her new daughter laying on her chest  
“Got the water on” Daryl announces coming back into the room after Aaron covers them both with the comforter  
“Good, I think we’ll be staying here for the night” Aaron says glancing out the window at the setting sun  
“They’ll worry”  
“We have a good excuse”  
“Oh my god you’re really here” Emma whispers to the baby curled into her chest  
“Hey Em?” Aaron asks after a few minutes  
“Yeah” she asks looking up at Aaron  
“I’m gonna go get her a diaper and some clothes from the nursery I think we should get you two cleaned up and then she’ll need to eat”  
“Okay” Emma says as Aaron moves out of the room  
He’s back within a few minutes with his arms full of more things  
“Alright I grabbed a few different clothing things for you to pick from and they had this sling thing that says it’s a scale which I thought would be a good idea to have, to make sure she’s gaining weight” he explains and Emma nods agreeing  
“Why don’t you pick out an outfit for her and I’ll get the water going so we can make sure the pipes are clear” Aaron tells her laying the outfits on the bed next to her  
Picking through them Emma decides on a light pink bodysuit with a butterfly on the left side of the chest  
“Alright water’s running clear. Daryl why don’t you hold the baby for a minute so I can help Emma up and into the bathroom” Aaron suggests and once he gets a nod from both parties, he gently shifts the baby out of Emma’s arms and into Daryl’s.  
It’s a slow process moving from the bed to the bathtub/shower combo, and an even slower process under the water. While its not hot its not freezing either, probably a consequence of the hot weather outside.  
Once Emma feels clean enough, she shuts off the water and retrieves the towel Aaron hung on the hook for her and wraps it around herself before stepping out of the shower.  
“Here, I found these in the dresser out there – I think they’ll fit you” Aaron says handing her a small pile of clothes  
“Thank you” Emma says and when Aaron goes to say you’re welcome she cuts him off “No seriously. Who knows what would’ve happened if you and Daryl wouldn’t have heard me in the woods earlier. I probably would’ve given birth in the woods or at the very least alone. So, thank you it’s something I don’t think I could ever thank you enough for” Emma tells him and Aaron smiles at her before answering  
“You’re welcome, I think Daryl and I both knew we wouldn’t be leaving the woods alone once we saw you. And you don’t have to worry you and your daughter won’t have to be alone anymore” he tells her before pulling the door shut so she can get dressed  
Emma places the clothes to the side and roots in the medicine cabinets until she finds what she’s looking for – pads because birth and recovery was no clean process. And she tries not to think too much about the nursing bra Aaron found or the fact that there is obviously a very well stocked nursery in the house. Shaking herself from her thoughts she pulls on the loose-fitting shorts and t-shirt before finding a brush and running it through her hair and braiding it back.  
“I think it’s time for someone else to get cleaned up” Emma says leaving the bathroom and approaching Daryl who sat down in the chair by the window with the baby curled up in his arms  
“She looks comfy” Emma comments coming to a stop in front of them  
“Yeah Daryl has that effect on babies” Aaron remarks from the doorway  
“There are other babies at your community?” Emma asks picking the baby up from Daryl’s arms  
“One, her names Judith” Aaron tells her  
“How old is she?”  
“Bout a year and a half” Daryl answers and Emma nods before turning to Aaron  
“Happen to find any baby soap?” she asks and Aaron nods before leaving the room and coming back a few minutes later with baby soap, rags and a towel. Emma takes it from him gratefully before moving back into the bathroom and giving the baby her first sponge bath in the sink.  
Once she’s finished, she bundles her into a towel and heads back into the bedroom  
“We got the scale sling thing hooked up if you wanted to weigh her” Aaron offers  
“Okay” Emma says and together they manage to situate the baby in the sling and get her weight  
“5 pounds even” Aaron announces and Emma laughs removing the baby from the sling and quickly putting the diaper and bodysuit on her  
“She’s a little thing”  
“She got a name?” Daryl asks from his corner  
“I – yeah she does; Brielle” Emma tells them  
“Like the canal we passed when we first got to town?” Daryl asks  
“Yeah, this is the first time I’ve felt hopeful in a long time. Figured her name needed to be something to remind us of that” Emma tells them taking a seat on the bed propped up against the pillows  
“It’s a beautiful name” Aaron tells her and Emma nods  
“I think I’m gonna have to try and feed her soon and well if you don’t want to see my boob you might want to leave now, although that line has way since been crossed” Emma laughs  
“We’ll let you have your privacy, Yell if you need anything” Aaron says before him and Daryl head out the door  
Surprisingly nursing seems to come natural to both of them, something Emma is eternally grateful for  
When Aaron comes to check on them later, they’re both sound asleep on the bed, a pillow on either side of the baby to prevent her from being rolled on and from rolling off  
Emma wakes multiple times throughout the night to feed and change Brielle and in the morning, she is woken by Aaron coming in the room  
“Hey, I brought you some food. And thought we could go through the nursery and pack up some stuff to take with us” he says as Emma slowly sits up  
“Okay” she says taking the can of fruit from him and the bottle of water  
“Do you want to hold her?” she asks gesturing with her head towards the baby sound asleep  
“Uh yeah sure” Aaron says and soon enough he’s settled in the chair in the corner with Brielle curled up in his arms sound asleep while her mom finishes her breakfast.  
Not too much later they’re both in the nursery deciding what to bring and what not too  
“I think the boppy definitely” Emma says pulling the still enclosed in its packaging nursing pillow out of the closet and placing it by the door  
“It looks like there’s a bassinet over here still in its packaging, and a pack and play”  
“Both of them would be good” Emma tells him, and he nods before handing her the baby and pushing both boxes towards the door  
“Do you think there’s room for all the diapers?” Emma asks gesturing to the 3 unopened boxes of diapers  
“I’m sure” Aaron says and while he’s not entirely confident that they’ll fit, he is entirely sure he’ll try to make them  
“I’m just gonna pack a few outfits in different sizes for her, bodysuits mostly I think” Emma says trading him for the baby for the diaper bag he found in the closet  
Emma works quickly packing a few outfits, socks, hats, bibs and blankets into the diaper bag along with the baby safety kit they found in one of the drawers.  
“Why don’t you go pack a small bookbag with the toiletries and some clothes for yourself before you have to feed her, and we head out” Aaron suggests, and Emma moves to do so  
She grabs another nursing bra, along with underwear and a few shirts and leggings. Changing into a fresh shirt and leggings herself she stashes the shorts in the bag as well before slipping on some fresh socks and her shoes before packing up the sling scale, and all of the toiletries her and the baby used along with more feminine products. She finishes just as she hears the baby start to whine and Aaron brings her into her.  
“We’ll get the car loaded up” Aaron tells her, pulling the door shut behind her  
“Welp darling looks like we’re going to have an actual home. Feels nice to have some hope for once doesn’t it” Emma tells her daughter once she’s settled nursing  
Less than half an hour later, Emma is strapping her machete onto her leg and swaddling the baby before following Daryl and Aaron out to the car. This time Emma and Brielle take the backseat while Aaron takes the passenger.  
It’s almost a 4-hour drive to the community from where they are and half an hour out Emma has them stop so she can feed the baby and then they continue on their way.  
Emma stares astounded at the huge metal gate being pulled back to allow them entry  
“Doesn’t seem real does it?” Aaron asks laughing at her awestruck expression  
“Holy shit” Emma whispers as they pull to a stop  
Daryl huffs a laugh at her before climbing out of the car with Aaron following him quickly. Emma continues to stare amazed and is startled when Aaron opens her door and Daryl offers a hand to help her out of the car. A hand she greatly accepts as she feels a little unsteady  
“This is Alexandria” Aaron tells her shutting the car door behind her and Emma corrects him in her head, a smile forming on her lips as she hears the children laughing and the people talking, and feels the slight breeze brush across her cheeks.  
‘This is home’


End file.
